Iguazu!

Hey again guys!

I am back again after anothter busy week. I had my history test today and I think I did pretty well on it. It was mostly about Juan Peron, the President who started the infamous Peron movement. Some of you may know his wife...Eva Peron or Evita. They have a very interesting history, and I will definitely explain it to you if you ask me about it when I get back to the states.

Speaking of coming back, I have 2 more weeks...Time is moving so quickly. I think I am ready to come home though. It is getting to be that time around the holidays and I just want to spend time with family like everyone else is. I feel like I have seen so much here in Argentina, but it is time I think.

Regardless, I still have time for one more adventure. So spontaneously my friend and I decided last night that we had to travel one more time. So this time we are going to Iguazu Falls for the weekend. If you didn't know, Iguazu is one of the largest waterfalls in the world. I hear that when Iguazu is compared to Niagra Falls, the poor Canadian falls are nothing close. Also the falls are all around the area, it is not just one single fall of water.

Also the falls are at the northern part of Argentina very close to the border between Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina. The falls are a little far on the bus that I am taking....around 18 hours. Yeah, so I will be enjoying myself by revising my paper on the bus. However, as I said about the buses to Mendoza, this bus will be nice. The seats actually turn into layout beds so I defintely will be comfortable.

I will be staying in a town, Puerto Iguazu, on the Argentina side of the falls for a day after I arrive tomorrow at noon. Then after that I will go back home Sunday night and get back to Buenos Aires on Monday.

So that is the plan guys. I'm sorry that I am keeping it so brief, I have to go pack tho!

Talk to you soon. I will definitely be taking a ton of pictures for you to see.

-Ray

Busily Working... with 3 weeks left?

Another day, another blog post….I am back again to give you an update!

I have been doing well so far since my return from Brazil. I won’t deny that I miss that country a lot. The difference in people was quite apparent the second I stepped off the plane. Of course not all Argentines are like the stereotypical cold city dwellers that I write them to be. However, they definitely aren’t the fun loving and warm Brazilians that I met during my trip.

What I want to acknowledge here though is not a stereotypical image of Argentina, but instead a noticeable difference in the everyday interactions with people from Brazil and Argentina. Granted, it is far more complex then that-I do want to say thought that Buenos Aires for me is like any big city where the pace of life is so quick and rapid, that people don’t have time to focus on others when they are trying to get somewhere. In Rio, regardless if it was a big city, the people still maintained a friendly attitude. Despite all of this, I will be back to Brazil at some point.

Anyways enough of my obsession with Brazil, let’s talk about my investigation about blacks here in Argentina. So far it has been going great. As I have told you, I have been looking at the marginalization and the issues they face in the Buenos Aires area. Previously, I said that many of the reasons why blacks face issues here is because many people do not believe they exist here. If they are black and they live here then to an Argentine they are certainly foreigners. If there are any blacks here, an Argentine may say “there are very little here-nearly all of them died in the wars or the yellow fever epidemic.” What many Argentines do not know about is the immigration from Cabo Verde (Cape Verde) or about the possible black heritage that some Argentines carry.

Very quickly I will mention Cabo Verde. Cabo Verde is a ring of islands in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Africa across Senegal. Cabo Verde was once a colony of Portugal, and because of that Cabo Verdeans speak Portuguese. What occurred on Cabo Verde was that many blacks on the islands ended up mixing with many of the Portuguese. Because of this, many Cabo Verdeans look mixed but a bit more European.

Last week I went to Dock Sud in search of a community of people from Cabo Verde. My Spanish teacher had told me about a possible Cabo Verdean community in this area but she wasn’t sure. This neighborhood is located on the outskirts of the city and is considered by some portenos (residents of Buenos Aires) to be a “barrio feo” or an ugly neighborhood. They consider it this because the people there are poorer and the streets and buildings are run down. However, my perception of the area didn’t seem that bad because the people were very friendly. I ended up in the neighborhood by bus and was asking around about it. Initially I was nervous, but I kept asking store owners about the Cabo Verdeans. Finally at one point a store owner gave me the address to a Cabo Verdean community center within 10 minutes from the store.

When I got there I looked a little lost. I was greeted by a man of Cabo Verdean descent who was born in Buenos Aires. The color of his skin was nearly the same as man. He told me to have lunch there in the center with him so we could chat. I quickly explained to him my investigation and what I was looking for. He ended up telling me that his grandmother moved from Cabo Verde to Dock Sud in 1930, and that the community center I was at was established in 1933 as a center of support. Following our discussion about his family, I asked if he had ever experienced racism. He replied to me that he personally never had an experience, yet he knew of some people who have. In addition, he pointed out that blacks face discrimination in the work place and that blacks were some of the most impoverished in Argentina. After this he suggested I come back to the community center so I could speak to more Cabo Verdeans.

After my first visit I went back on Saturday and met 4 older Cabo Verdeans. All of them were in their seventies and were once sailors who traveled around the world by sea. They all had all immigrated from Cabo Verde to Argentina during the 40’s and 50’s for a better work opportunity. This makes a lot of sense because that time was during the most prosperous years for Argentina. At that time Argentina was under the presidency of Juan Peron.

It was a little difficult to understand some of the men because their Spanish had a hint of Portuguese lingering. One also told me that in addition to Portuguese, there was a dialect that was spoken on the island. When they spoke in the dialect briefly it sounded like a mixture of Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian-it was very distinct.

When I asked them about discrimination one of them told me that racism and discrimination here is “baja la carpeta” or underneath the carpet. It is a quiet racism they said because no one openly admits it.

One man pointed out a man in the doorway to me who looked like a typical white Argentine. He told me that the man told the Cabo Verdean that he had a black grandfather who married a white woman. However, the family did not acknowledge those black roots because there is a certain amount of shame to have African descent. To many Argentines, it is taboo to talk about those pasts. In a study done, it is said that around 5 percent or 2 million people in Argentina have black descent. Pretty interesting to find such things out considering the country supposedly does not have blacks right?

Furthermore, all these things I learned will definitely be included in my final paper. Also tonight I am going to a discussion at the legislature of the city about the human rights and the political affirmation of blacks here in Argentina. I already know that I am going to find some insightful info.

Once I’m done with all my work though, I will have a 20-25 page paper written and I have to present all my findings December 7th. Right now I have 10 pages, and my due date is next Tuesday for my second draft. Wish me luck guys!

As for Thanksgiving, all the kids in my program will be having Thanksgiving at my director’s house. It will not be the same, but I will have to make the most of it. I am already mad because there will be none of grandma’s rice and beans. I have come to terms with that though haha

Anyways, I have 3 more weeks though until it is back to the states…I have already been dreaming of home and school again. I guess that means it's almost time right? Well, not too long guys.

See you soon!

Back from Brazil-Muito Bem!

Oi!

So I got back from Brazil Wednesday night. As I have told some of you, I absolutely loved Brazil and I want to go back as soon as possible. There is so much to say, so this is probably going to be a long post.

To start off I would like to say that I had a feeling that I would like Brazil. If it was one thing I missed about the people, then it was their kindness and helpfulness with everything. No where in my life have I encountered such a thing. They also have a great sense of humor. Anytime when I was unable to communicate with Brazilians in Portuguese, we usually joked about it and used hand motions to try and get across our point. Usually what followed after our hand-signaled conversation was laughter and smiles.

When I got to Brazil I landed in Sao Paolo, the largest city in Brazil and also the financial capital. It is also the largest city in South America with 10 million, which is larger than NYC. NYC has about 8 million people. Regardless I did not stay long in that big city because it is too hard to navigate for a foreigner.

Instead I went to Parati which is a small tourist town in the state of Rio de Janeiro. In order to get there we took a bus that took about 7 hours. This was the way we did all of our traveling from the cities we visited. Parati is a very small colonial town and is a very large spot for many tourists. It was very tranquil and calm. What most tourists do is go on boat tours and go to the small islands close by to see the beaches and the water. I ended up doing this and also a little snorkeling. Very beautiful, here is a picture of one of the small islands I saw:

After staying in Parati for a few days I went to Isla Grande (Ilha Grande-the name in Portuguese). It was a bit of a process to get to Ihla Grande though. First we took a bus from Parati to Angra (about 4 hours), then we took a boat about an hour boat ride from Angra to Ihla Grande.

Ihla Grande was just beautiful. It actually felt more like authentic Brazil and less like a tourist area. For one, cars were not allowed on the Island. Also most people could not speak English on the island. This was a notable difference from Parati which seemed touristier. The only downside of our time was the weather. It was mostly cloudy and rained the each day. Fortunately when we went on our hike through the island we saw some sun. Here is a picture of the island from the top of a high point:

When we finished our hike we toured some of the beaches. Ihla Grande had many beaches. The best was the last one that we visited. It had very blue water, but also white sand. I had never seen anything like it before. The following is a video of the beach while I sat down and just took in the beautiful site on the sand:

Following Parati we finally left for the city of Rio de Janeiro. I had been very excited for Rio because I had heard so much about the city, the beaches there, and the people, the host of the future World Cup and Olympics. However, I was very fortunate that I got to see other parts of Brazil before so I could compare the towns to the big city. Overall the Brazilian culture is very strong and many Brazilians are proud of their heritage and language.

Also it appeared to me that many Brazilians have a ton of energy and passion. My friends and I went to a soccer game in Rio at Maracana Stadium. You would have thought that the soccer game was the finals with the crowd’s energy, but the fans were just proud of their team. They had cheers, songs, dances, drums-it was like a big party at the stadium. And the stadium wasn’t even filled all the way.

You will also see in some of my pictures what looks like run down houses. These places are the favelas (shanty towns) or the poorest neighborhoods. In Brazil, at least 50 million people live in places like these. This would average to about 1 in 4 people in Brazil. Poverty is a large problem in Brazil because if you are poor in Brazil, you have it bad. However, if you are rich then you are living very comfortably. The distribution of wealth is one of the worst in the world. Also with the favelas in Rio, what has happened is that many areas where there was once free land are now full. To solve this, many of the poor build houses on top of one another. Furthermore, a majority of the people in these favelas are black or of darker skin. This is one of the sad realities of Brazil.

Although there is racism in Brazil, I believe they are very tolerant of different people since the country itself is such a mixture of cultures and people. For example, I was talking to an Argentine man who was working at Pan de Azucar (Sugarloaf Mountain-A small mountain with a lift where you can see all of Rio). He was born in Buenos Aires and was of Arabic and Italian ancestry, and his skin color was very near to mine. After talking to him for a bit, I asked him why he lived in Rio for 20 years instead of Buenos Aires. He told me that since he came to Brazil, he felt welcomed by all. For that reason he moved to Brazil, and eventually married a Brazilian woman. Furthermore, in Rio and Brazil he had a name, “Carlos”. However, in Buenos Aires and Argentina his name was “negro” or black. This was a powerful statement to me because this came from a native of Argentina, but it spoke to me of the very real racism that is so often denied in Argentina. Nevertheless, I could clearly feel the kindness of the people that he spoke of to me as I interacted with the people. Despite popular belief, at no point did I feel unsafe in Brazil.

In Brazil I never received stares from anyone. Many of the Brazilians believed that I was Brazilian, whereas in Buenos Aires I always received attention for the color of my skin. My friend on the other hand in Brazil received many stares for his blonde hair. Also when we went to a Brazilian flea market everyone called him Gringo (foreigner). This term isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but they acknowledged his status. However for me, I felt like I fit in, instead of being a curiosity to all like I was in Argentina. All of this I felt despite my lack of Portuguese which is crazy to me.

I can’t count the amount of times that I had Brazilians ask me in Portuguese if I could speak their language. It was very funny, but also I believe that I should learn Portuguese before I return to Brazil. Unlike in Argentina where I can speak Spanish and find out the thoughts of the people, I felt bad because I could not really talk to the people and see their experiences.

Also Portuguese is not Spanish. It has it’s similarities but it is different. Although written Spanish and Portuguese look very close, when verbalized it is very different. The language itself is very sing-songy like Italian but the pronunciation of words is very distinct. One example is the word student. In Spanish the word is estudiante, and in Portuguese it is estudante but it is pronounced es-too-di-an-ch (like ranch). So when I do learn it will be a little challenging, but it will be a good experience for me I am sure.

To conclude this post about Brazil I want to talk about Brazilian hospitality and the example I experienced. My friend and I met a Brazilian dude on vacation in Parati and we traveled with him until we arrived in Rio. He was a financial stock analyst in his hometown of Belo Horizante, about 8 hours from Rio. He was very helpful to us since he spoke Portuguese, Spanish, and English. I have to say that I am very grateful to him because he made navigating the towns a lot easier. Before he left Rio he invited us to stay with him and his parents in his home in Belo Horizante. So after my friend and I left Rio, we went to Belo Horizante and stayed with the guy and his parents. They were so good to us-the mother cooked us breakfast, lunch, and dinner and our new friend showed us his city. He was so proud of his city, which was very pretty and also more tranquil than Rio or Sao Paolo. It also seemed very residential to me.

And although his parents could not speak English we spoke broken Portuguese and we were somewhat successful in conversing. Now my question to many of you is this, would you open your house to someone you just met like this? Honestly, before this experience I don’t think I would-yet I think maybe some of that Brazilian kindness has rubbed off on me.

BUT ANYWAYS, I could go on and on about Brazil. I definitely have a lot more places to explore in Brazil. I hope you guys enjoyed reading though. Also here is a link to my album of Brazil: Album of Brazil

Also I realized that I have about a month left. Time flies right? Yeah, I can’t believe I am almost down with this experience here in South America. I will hopefully write about how I feel about that very soon. Until next time guys!

Viaje!---Brasil y Río de Janeiro!

Ola! (It’s Portuguese…pretty close to Spanish right?)

This week was pretty successful in regards to my investigation. I finished my draft and it’s almost 9 pages, but I still need to interview people about the black experience in Argentina. I have had informal interviews with the kids of my home stay parents who are in their 40’s. When I told them what I was investigating they were impressed. Yet like most responses I have gotten so far, they told me there were almost no blacks in Argentina.

Also what is more interesting is that when I asked them if some Argentines could have black ancestry. They simply said they did not know and were very surprised that I asked that question. It was also surprising because my explanation as to how it would be possible made sense. Like I said before, many black men died in the wars during the 19^th century which left many black women alone. Consequently, those black women had to find someone, so they intermarried with the European immigrants. Now I know it is only a part of the population, yet it is still very significant. More to come on this though guys!

Now let’s talk about Brazil, I am beyond excited for this trip. I was thinking about it, and I realized I may have wanted to go to Brazil before Argentina. However, I now have the opportunity to visit, but also compare each country and my experience in each.Also if you are wondering how I have time on my hands to take a random trip to Brazil, don't question it because I am currently on vacation :)

I will not make any expectations, but people have told me that Brazilians are very welcoming and warm. Also everyone in Argentina keeps telling me that I will blend right in with the Cariocas (people from Rio de Janeiro) because I look similar. We’ll see about that, especially since many Argentines think I look like the Brazilian football player Robinho. The only probably that I may run into will be the language. I do not know any Portuguese. However in larger towns like Rio, Spanish and English is also spoken. For the sake of not being perceived as a complete American tourist I try to speak only in Spanish in Brazil. Despite what some may think, there are some definite linkages between the Portuguese and Spanish. I will let you know how that goes.

So the plan for tomorrow is to fly into São Paulo and then take a bus to a smaller town on the way to Rio. The small towns in this area are notoriously…safe! Crazy right? I was talking with my host parents about this and they had nothing but great experiences in these small towns. Usually everyone is in by 11 PM and no one is in the street. Supposedly the worst cities in Brazil are São Paulo and Rio….yeah, so why am I going there?

Well to be honest I can’t let fear stop me from doing what I want to do. Of course I will take care and precaution in Rio and in Brazil in general. In comparison with some of the tourists and other Americans here in Argentina, I can say that I am very cautious of my surroundings. The same will certainly be applied when I go to Brazil. However, I know that I can safely have a great time in Rio as well. So for anyone worrying, don’t loose sleep over it! I will be fine—someone intelligent told me that before I leap, I should think. And that my friends, is advice I always follow.

On a lighter note, I plan to find some dancing Brazilians…they LOVE to dance. That definitely will remind me of Puerto Ricans, so I should feel at home. Supposedly for them, anytime one dances is time for a party (ya tu sabes haha)! A popular dance music in Brazil is called the Samba, which certainly has African influence and A LOT of hip movement. It will be interesting to see if I can keep up with the Brazilians when it comes to dancing. (Of course I will though!)

It is getting late though guys; I will update you guys when I can. I will be staying at a hostel, and if you are still worried, I am going with a friend of mine in my program. Two brains are better then one in foreign territory.

But seriously I can’t wait….but I probably should pack since my flight is at 7:40 AM…

See you soon guys,

And I will be back in Argentina on November 4^th.

Tchau!

Ray

Investigating....

Yo!!! How are you guys? I have been pretty busy with my investigation and also I have been planning my trip to Brazil for next Saturday. Yes, you heard me-Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! Should be a great time! I am going with one of my friends from my program, and we will be spending about a week and a half there. I really am ecstatic because, first of all, it is completely different from Argentina. Moreover, it has a lot of African influence…so there certainly will be more people who look like me. Oh, and there are beaches too :)

Regardless, I am excited. However, for those of you wondering how my work is going, it is going great. I am sure some of you are wondering why I am in Argentina again. Well first to improve my Spanish, but my main project is to examine the black population here and its dynamics. Let me be the first to tell you that Argentina is a very unique Latin American country when it comes to its black population and history. I have read many things about them and I will say this, THERE ARE BLACK PEOPLE HERE! Although, not visible to many residents here, they are here.

Initially when I was deciding to pick this topic I assumed that Argentina would be like Brazil since they are so close to each other. In Brazil about 40 percent of the population is mixed (Pardo or Brown is the classification on the census-this is a mixture of white, black, or indigenous), and there are various black communities across the country. Although marginalized, Afro-Brazilians are visible within the culture and the society. However, what I read about Argentina was that it was nearly 95 percent white and European descent. Yeah, that isn’t a lot of diversity! Nevertheless, I left the US with my idea to study the blacks in Argentina, but I had worries that I would not be able to find a lot of information.

Yet after these past two weeks of reading…and reading…and reading, I have found a great amount of information about Afro-Argentines and also the black narrative in Argentina. However, if I had asked some of the citizens of Buenos Aires, they would have simply told me that there were not many at all. The usual explanation is that blacks died in the yellow fever epidemic during the 1870’s (look at my post about San Telmo, all blacks were impoverished at that time). This is a valid reason, but the history of blacks in Argentina is far more complicated.

The problem here is that Argentina has a very European identity. It is very proud of its European influences and culture, and anything that opposes that is deemed foreign. Like most South American countries, Argentina had a large amount of slavery and was a critical point in the South Atlantic Slave Trade.

Yet the 19^th century, some could interpret that one of the Presidents, Sarmiento (President from 1868-1874), wanted to "whiten up" Argentina and get rid of blacks here. During his presidency he put many black men on the front line in wars. Consequently, many black men died in these dangerous positions. The interesting part about it is that although slavery was abolished in 1813, many black men were not free until they fought in a war.

Since so many black men died in war, many of the black women had to marry European immigrants during the later part of the 19^th century. The mixing of races caused many to take on and claim their European ancestry and deny their black ancestors. Some studys say that about 5 percent of the population in Argentina may have African heritage. Regardless, many families denied this heritage and ignored it to maintain a better position in society.

So in terms of the Afro-Argentine there are some here, however many Argentines forget about the blacks that mixed into their population. Also there was an immigration from the country Cape Verde during the early part of the 20^th century. As some of you may know, Cape Verde is an island off of the coast of Africa. Many Argentines do not know this information though because it is overlooked by the huge immigration that took place during the same time from Italy and Spain. Furthermore, the Cape Verde community is very small, about 8000 people, and it is located outside the city of Buenos Aires in the province. Hopefully, I can interview somebody who is in charge of this community so I can further my research.

An additional aspect about blacks is the African immigrants who came here during the 1990’s. Many came from the coasts of Africa. These immirgarnts make up the countless vendors on the street who sell jewelry (not real gold, but metal etc.). One of the guys I talked to was actually from Senegal.

What all blacks who live in Argentina have in common is the fact is that they face discrimination in the education system, work force, health system, and on a daily basis. This is usually because they are thought of as invisible since there are so “little” blacks here.

I know I have said a lot, about Argentina, and some of you guys who read this may be thinking now, “If it’s like that there, why the hell are you there?” Well to be honest, I never thought it would be like this but it has opened my eyes up to a lot of things about race relations and also it has forced me to compare the US to Argentina in regards to blacks. I know I am very fortunate because although in the US we have our problems with race, I know that my voice is far louder then it would be here. Also when I interact with people everyone is still kind to me. I am a foreigner and this is not my land so I don’t face discrimination here like the blacks who live here. I cannot imagine the struggle they most go through in order to be seen and heard by the Argentine society. Regardless it is an eye opening experience!

Also, the first president of Argentina had African ancestry. (WOW) His name was Benardino Rivadavia (President from 1826 to 1827) and he was actually called the “Doctor Chocolate” because of his heritage by his political rivals. Nevertheless, he played down the fact that he was part black, and many Argentines do not openly acknowledge his roots. Pretty ironic that Argentina had a black President (in one regard), before the US in 2009….

In addition to that I went to a club last night that was founded by African refugees. I have never seen so many black people in Buenos Aires in one place. All of them were workers at the club (bouncers, bartenders, etc.). Although it was still a small number, about 15-20, they all seemed to be from different parts. For example one guy was from Bogota, Columbia; where as the other guy was from the Dominican Republic. I talked to the Dominican guy for a minute and we made jokes about the Argentines not knowing how to dance salsa and not knowing what Bachata music was. Furthermore, I asked him if he experienced racism and he stated that it was definitely here in Buenos Aires. After that I thought about Argentina and US for a moment. For many in Argentina, there is a denial in acknowledging that there is racism here. However, it is displayed through the experiences of blacks who live there day to day lives in this country.

Anyways, I think I have said enough! Sorry for making it so long, but I could have gone on and on about the other things I have found about this topic. I will be sure to keep you all posted after I do some more research and my interviews.

Until then,

-Ray

Also the following pictures are of the English Tower in Buenos Aires, one of the plazas close by, and the Immigrant Museum. The Immigrant Museum is located in the Port part of the city and was actually a hotel built to house all the immigrants that came in the beginning of the 20^th century.

La Aventura en Mendoza!!

Hey guys!

So its been a while since I have written something. Forgive me, it has been a little busy starting my investigation. As some of you know, I am doing my investigation about the marginalization of blacks in the past and present of Argentina. I have been looking for a few sources and researching. In addition to this I have to find around 3 people to interview about this. More to come on that when I get more info.

Right now though, I am going to tell you about my time spent in the western city of Mendoza! I actually got back Monday, but bear with me if I leave some things out. I may have forgotten some things.

Mendoza as I have said earlier is located right by the Andes Mountains. It is definitely smaller then Buenos Aires with a population of 110,000. Everyone said that it was mas tranquilo! (which means more relaxing or chill, which it was). Usually it is a very sunny place. Supposedly they have 300 days of sunshine...sounds like San Diego. Nevertheless, the day we arrived was very cold. And then the following day, Sunday, it actually snowed! This is extremely abnormal in the weather of Mendoza. Luckily I had my jacket and a sweater with me. It also was a top story for the national news-so that was how crazy it was. Here is a picture of the snow from my room:Also the family I stayed with in Mendoza was amazing. I stayed with a woman and her 23 year old son. They were very kind to me, for example the very first day the son showed me around the city and we saw a bunch of little shops. If I had to compare-Buenos Aires is like New York, whereas Mendoza is like a town in the midwest. There were many artisans hangin out on the streets, and many plazas. At the center of the town is Plaza Independencica with its huge fountain.

In the other plazas there are dedications to other countries such as Chile, Spain and Italy. However, the homestay brother told me that there was a further devotion to Spain unlike Italy which is very important in Buenos Aires. Also the people from Mendoza do not use the "sshhh" accent with their "ll"'s like the people in Buenos Aires. For once I didn't have to use that porteno (from Buenos Aires) accent!

In regards to Spanish, while in Mendoza I was taking classes at a laguage school for the week. I enjoyed it alot more than my previous Spanish school in Buenos Aires because it was me and another student, so we recieved alot of attention. Also we had plenty of activities as well. After class let out at 1 PM, we always had an activity:cooking empanadas, a session with guitarists from Mendoza, field trip to the bodega (winery) and then on Saturday we went hiking, rafting, and rock rappelling. These activities allowed me to take advantage of what Mendoza had to offer.

I had a few discussions with the people from Mendoza and their view of Buenos Aires. Some people felt that the people of Buenos Aires were very prideful of their big city, but a little too much. Many believed that the people of Buenos Aires believed that Argentina pretty much was all of Argentina. Regardless, the people of Mendoza are very proud to be from Mendoza and they love their city. On a political spectrum, one of the towns people told me that Mendoza is more socially conservative, whereas Buenos Aires is liberal.

However, what I learned was that people are very different outside of the big BA. People seemed more relaxed. One example is the universal siesta that takes place in the city. At around 2 to 3 in the afternoon everything in the town shuts down. All the stores end up closing for a time of rest after lunch. Then after maybe at around 5 to 6 PM everything opens up again. This certainly does not happen in Buenos Aires. Once again, I recommend US that implements this into our American society haha

In regards to nightlife, it is not like Buenos Aires. However the scene is still pretty fun. There is a main street in town that has just bars and hostels and it stays pretty crowded during the weekend (Friday-Saturday). People only go out during the weekends there as well. Also there was only one club within walking distance of my house. (Oh yeah, everything in Mendoza can be walked pretty easily. Unlike Buenos Aires which is huge and you always need to take a cab or the subway). I really liked the place though because they played alot of latin music (reggaeton, and a little bit of salsa, but of course they had some electronic going on as well). Nevertheless, there was another part of town which was the nightclub district. Supposedly there were about 7 other clubs, however it was about a 25 minute ride in a cab. I really didn't feel like going all the way over there, but I enjoyed myself and my birthday!

Another difference between Buenos Aires and Mendoza however, was when the nightlife started. It appeared to be more more like nightlife in the states because usually people went out by 11 or 12. Also there was a rule at the one club and someone said the otehr clubs as well, that you must be in the club by 2:30 AM or they would shut you out. Such a rule is unheard of in Buenos Aires where some people roll up to the club at around 4 AM. Very different, howver I still liked it.

And what about those mountains?! They were amazing. I could not believe that I was so close to the Andes. Also anytime you looked to the west in town you could see them. Here is a picture of them! :)




And finally here is a picture of me as we were going through our hike in the Andes:



I will try to write again at the end of this week, just to give you a view into my thoughts about my entire trip thus far! See you soon!

-Chau


For more photos follow this link to my facebook album:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=322894&id=791985105&l=bf16ce887c

To Mendoza!

Como estan?

I'm doing just fine. I just finished my Spanish classes at the language school. Everything went fine with my exam, and now I am just preparing to leave with my program tonight for Mendoza. As I said earlier Mendoza is a town in western Buenos Aires and it is right by the Andes Mountain Range. Also to the near west of Mendoza over the mountain range is the city Santiago, which is the capital of Chile. Here is a map of Argentina and the town's distance from Buenos Aires:




It is very easy to access Mendoza because there is a route that goes directly from Buenos Aires to Mendoza. The bus ride itself is about 13-14 hours. Supposedly the bus we are taking has reclining seats and is actually quite comfortable. I will be sure to notify you on how I feel about that.

When we get to Mendoza tomorrow morning, we will be taken to our new home stays for our time there. Then on Monday we will start Spanish classes which are from 8:30 AM to 1 PM....yes, that is a very long time and very early too. For all that time spent in those classes, my Spanish better improve greatly. After our classes we have time to explore the town and do what we want. Also I will not be bringing my laptop so I will be using public computers to check my messages and such. I may update the blog if I can.

Some things about Mendoza that many people go there for is the wine. All the best wines in Argentina, and even the world, are created in Mendoza. So I will be wine tasting, mostly red though. For some odd reason Argentines don't really like white wine. Also many travelers come to hike in the Andes and also kayak. It may also be a bit cooler than Buenos Aires due to the moutains.

It will definitely be a nice change from all the cement and car horns I hear in Buenos Aires. A friend of mine told me that Buenos Aires is very different then the rest of Argentina. Moreover, those on the outside of BA have a tendency to be more down to earth. I will see if his words hold some validity when I am there. I am very excited though. I will be back in Buenos Aires next Sunday, October 5th, so I will keep you all up to date with what is going on when I can.

-Hasta Luego.

Primer Dia de Primavera

So it has been a good minute since I have written a post and I thought it would be a good idea to give you a fill in.

Last Tuesday I took some tango lessons, and let me tell you it is a very technical dance. We did the basic step and a lot of the tango requires foot work. However, the feet do not lead the dance for the dancers. The man’s chest is actually what leads the dance. Of course, I was having some issues with this because the instructor told me to stop moving my waist and hips. Those parts of the body are not supposed to move, but that was very difficult considering that I am so used to dancing Salsa and Merengue. However, it was very fun and I think I am going to take some lessons after I return from my trip.

My trip will be this Friday, and I will be going to Mendoza to study some more Spanish for a week with my program. Mendoza is a city on the western side of Argentina, and it is about 13 hours from Buenos Aires by bus. Mendoza is definitely a lot smaller then Buenos Aires, with a population of about 110,000. Also it is located near the Andes Mountains, so we will probably be hiking and trying wine! Mendoza is where all the best wines in Argentina and the world come from. I am looking forward to it though. Supposedly the outside of Buenos Aires has a very different culture than the rest of Argentina.

On a different topic, I wanted to write a quick note about a realization about my time in Buenos Aires. A friend of mine wrote about how Walden related to her experience on her blog. She said that Walden “wanted us to know that it is not until we lose our way, literally, that we truly get to know ourselves. It is not until then that we take the time to observe everything around us.” Experiences such as the one I am currently in can only be beneficial towards me. Moreover, every difference encountered in Argentina is an opportunity for growth. To add even more wisdom from another friend of mine, he said that discomfort leads to learning. I know that I am uncomfortable here; it certainly is not what I expected it to be. Yet I am happy to be learning so much from these differences that I am experiencing.

Also here are a few pictures of m house, neighborhood and of a man playing in one of the plazas close to my house (the video is at the bottom of the post). In many plazas throughout Buenos Aires, there are ferias (fairs) on Sundays. Buenos Aires, at least, seems to be a huge spot for flea markets, I have never seen so many in my life. To me it appears that there is an appreciation for the unique and little things. In one regard the porteños (people of the port), or the people or Buenos Aires, support its craftsmen. Such support is definitely not as strong in the US.

Oh and on a final note, I have no class today! Today is the first day of spring here in Argentina, and for that reason all schools in Buenos Aires have the day off. As a result of this many students will be out enjoying the parks, the sunshine, and the beginning of the new season. Here in Buenos Aires life is a lot slower than in the United States. People take time to rest (siestas in the afternoon), enjoy nature, and relax. This has been a little bit of a transition for me, especially since you all know that I like to be doing a million things at once. Yet it’s great to have this chance and experience a lifestyle that could not be lived in the US. And for that reason, I am leaving the house for the day! Now if they only did this in the US….

Chau!

The end of the second week...Time flies?

Oye! Que tal chicos?

So I figured I should write a quick entry real quick. My time here in Buenos Aires so far has been pretty great. I am enjoying myself, and it has been a pretty good adjustment so far. However, I have gotten some stereotypes in the clubs of being black. One girl asked me I could rap for her...another kept calling me the name of a Brazilain football player. And then there was the other time that a bunch of women wanted a picture with me, even though they didn't know my name. For now, it is a little funny for me because the attention can be a good thing. Moreover, I somewhat expected to get this amount attention only because I had heard about it before from other blacks who went to Argentina. The only thing that throws the Argentines off though, is my accent which isn't "gringo" and it doesn't sound like I am from "Yankee Land". All in all it has been the experience like I wanted it to be.

Other then that I am just getting ready to go out for the night and hang out with some new people that I have met. Some are from Italy, and then there are a few people who are from Portugal. It was a surprise to me to find out that there were so many people from other places in Buenos Aires. However, I still want to meet some more Argentines and see who they feel about their country etc.

Tomorrow or in a day or two, I will write a post about some of the political dissatisfaction that is going on. My history class on Argentina is helping to explain this. However, it is shocking to hear all the things the government here has done against the people. It is crazy...in one regard it has given me a new appreciation for being an American. A little crazy that I feel this way, but the amount of opportunities I have in the US is definitely alot more than those I could ever have if I was born in Buenos Aires at the same economic level.

Anyways, enough of that!

I am off for the night. Buenas Noches!

Se me perdio mi tarjeta! Y San Telmo

Hola chicos-Sorry this one has been a little overdue. It has been a very busy thee past few days. The first thing you should know is that I lost my dedit card...Yeah not a very good thing esepcially when it is the card of a local bank in Ohio. I guess I had made a withdrawal from the bank and I forgot to press the button to withdraw my card as well. Argentinean banks are different from American banks because the card is spit back out automatically. The other possible way I could have lost my card was that it fell out of my pocket when I left the bank. Regardless I handled the situation accordingly and called my bank to cancel the card. Unfortunately now though I have to wait maybe a week or two until the bank sends my new card to my house, and then my mother will send it to me in Buenos Aires. Luckily though, I had $100 dollars (or 360 pesos) stashed away. For now I am alright, and my friends are going to let me borrow some cash if needed. Also I am the fourth kid in my program to lose their card, so it happens to the best of us I guess. However-it is def not a good feeling to lose your card in a foreign country.....

Besides that everything else is fine. Classes have been giving us a little more homework, and I will be having my first area studies seminar tomorrow. It'll be interesting to see how this will work as a class of 3 students and at a time of 9:30 AM.

On a different note, I think I am starting to realize that this experience is alot harder then I thought it would be. I have lived in different states (NY and Minnesota) and have adapted very quickly to my environment. I guess I had a similar expectation for here as well. However, it is harder because I am not completely comfortable in the language. And this is completely foreign land to me. Yet the important thing is that I wake up every morning and tell myself what my goals are and that is: to learn the language and to be immersed in the culture. So we shall see how it goes for now, however people still have been friendly so no worries. I did see a reminder of home though...this is the closest thing I have found to Puerto Ricans in Buenos Aires haha...I did not go in though because it was closed for the day. Future visit maybe?

This past weekend though we went to San Telmo, another neighborhood in Buenos Aires, for a fair that they have every Sunday. The neighborhood itself is pretty small, and has many antique shops. However on Sundays an entire street for about six blocks is taken up to have various vendors sell their goods, essentially it is a giant flea market. It is also a huge tourist attraction here as well. There were literally tons of different goods that one could buy-paintings, leather goods, clothes, etc etc. I will be getting souvenirs from here...when I have my debit card back...Here are some pictures of the day in San Telmo.

As for the history of San Telmo, it used to be occupied by the aristocrats of Buenos Aires. However, once there was the yellow fever epidemic 1871, the rich moved out of the area into the more northern part of the city. This left many of the places empty, and for this reason many poor families moved in. Now since the rich had such large houses, many of the rich who still owned these large houses turned them into ventillos. Ventillos can be defined somewhat like a project in the states. The rich had ended up putting as many as 5 different immigrant families in one house. What would happen is that each family would live in a different room of the house. Also these families would be from different European countries, for example: Italy, Yugoslavia, France etc. etc. Here is an example of a hallway in a ventillo.The picture above is of a ventillo that is being renovated. San Telmo as of now has many properties for sale, and many are trying to renovate old buildings in the neighborhood.

Also here is a picture of mate cups ans straws. Mate is an herbal tea that many Argentineans drink. It is drink from the wooden cup and then sipped out of the wooden straw. I have still not tried it but I will at some point.

On a final note, there was some great entertainment. The 1st video is of a Argentinean ska group, which I thought was pretty good. The second video I find even more interesting. It is a group of Uruguayans, as well as some Argentineans performing a candombe. It is a music directly influenced by Africa, as it can be seen from the drums and the dance. Every Sunday they do this in San Telmo. It should be noted that similar to Brazil, Uruguay has a larger amount of blacks than Argentina. Maybe I will look further into this-oddly enough the tango has a certain amount of African influence as well, but I will blog about that at a later point.

Until then guys-Hasta pronto!

Clase....clase...clase

Oye!

I have no clue why I am still awake, but I anyways I thought I should at least fill you all in. I am going on my fourth day of class tomorrow. It has been pretty good so far. I tested into the intermediate-advanced Spanish level so it should be an experience. The school itself is a language college, where students can learn various languages. It is great also because there are people from all over the world there. I actually met a woman from Rio, Brazil who was learning Spanish because she married a man from Argentina. She said she only spoke Portuguese and Spanish. It just boggles my mind because we were both conversing in languages that were not our first, but we still understood each other. Yes, knowing another language is something powerful.

For this first month though, I have Spanish class from 1 to 4 Monday to Friday. It sounds pretty long, and it felt like it today. Hopefully it will be more interesting since it was just review today. After I finish the Spanish portion of the program I get more time to do research on my field project.

The other two classes I have are an Area Cultural seminar and a Reserach methods seminar to help prepare me for my reserach. Those will be until the end of the program and are Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30 to 12.....It seems so long, but I will be fine-those start next week.

The only issue I have had thus far is with the transportation system of Buenos Aires. I have to take the Subte (subway) to class each morning. Let me tell you though, that is one crowded train car in the morning. And also it stops in the middle of the tunnel sometimes! Crazy right? I have been late to a few meetings I have had because of this. Yet, a large part about the people of Buenos Aires, and possibly Argentina in general is their looseness with time. For example, we could meet one of our Argentinean friends at 10:30. However he could arrive at 11:00. It is very loose, but for classes it is not the same because you still need to be on time for class.

Anyways, here is is the killer part about the subte-it closes at 10:30 PM everyday. I have never heard of a system of public transportation not being available 247. However, I am in Buenos Aires. Also, it only has trains that cover about half of 2/3 of the city. The other parts of the city you will have to take a bus or cab. So some parts of the city are inaccessbile by train. I guess now they are trying to build more train lines for better access though.

If I can't use the subway, then I have to take the collectivo or the bus. It costs 1.25 peso which is nothing. However, I do not know how to use it that well yet. So this shall be very interesting to see how I will be getting around the city. To get into the nightlife, I have been taking a cab. However, I am sure that could be expensive after a while.

Alright-I wil write again when some more interesting things happen. Here is a picture though of "El Obelisco". This is a part of the Centro area of Buenos, where Casa Rosada and the House of Congress is at. This is very close to where I take classes as well.

-Buenas Noches!

Weekend #1 en Buenos Aires

Hey guys! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I know I did! I did happen to experience the Buenos Aires nightlife already, and I must say they do know how to party. They usually continue to party until early into the morning. It's funny because all of the American students who just got here are still getting used to this, and some students are lacking the energy to keep up. Pero mi, nunca! tengo energia todo el tiempo :) Regardless, I am going to try to find some places where they play a little more salsa. All I have heard so far in the clubs is techno, electronic, house....yeah i need a little more variety. Supposedly there is one club called Azucar with salsa music and some of my housemates were telling me about a Dominican club in another neighborhood. I didn't even know Argentina had Dominicans, quite a surprise...maybe I can find some other Puerto Ricans? (wishful thinking?)

On a more serious note, Argentina is a very complex and interesting place. One of these complexities is the fact that poverty is very apparent in Buenos Aires specifically. About 40-45 percent of the population lives in poverty. Part of the reason is due to the economic crisis that occurred in 2001. Families who were middle class were critically affected and they became impoverished. With a population of 40 million you can imagine how many poor that would be. A consequence of all these poor people are the "villas miserias".

The villa miseria literally translates to misery village. The best explanation for it is a shanty town. They are sometimes set up in areas where poeple normally wouldn't live. One of the biggest is near the domestic airport on the highway. This defintely explains why I saw some rundown areas when I first came to Buenos Aires. Supposedly these places are havens of crime and should never be entered. Also many people from these shanty towns come into the city to work. Many have carts and dig through garbage to find recyclables for money. It is an oddity, since wealth and culture clashes with poverty and desperation-especially in historical areas. Very close to the national house of government I snapped this picture on a bus tour of the city:


It says Guerra Social, or Social War. It is very apparent that many Argentines are not satisfied with the government and the current administration. Signs of politcal disatisfaction are very apparent in the graffitti, and it is extreme in my mind becuase sometimes the graffitti is on various historical statues and even some buildings.

Despite this there is alot of history. Here is the national house of government Casa Rosada. Many events happened here and many times in the past politicians, like the famous Juan and Eva Peron, spoke from the balcony for poltical rallies. The other picture is the House of Congress.

The next pictue is the nighborhood of La Boca. There are many colorful houses, and art galleries, as well as some tango performances. However, on the coast is the river Riachuelo, which has been polluted greatly by factories up the river. This causes a bad smell to be present in the barrio. Also, it has caused many of the poor to take residence in La Boca because the rich do not want to stay near the river. However, there are plans to redevelop the area and to clean the river.

On a more personal side, there are two things that I am becoming aware of. The first is the realization that I have never had an expereince like this is regards to my race. In the US, I am looked at as being black but people ignore me and go about their business. Here in Argentina, I get stared at contsantly with a look of curioisty. I was taking the subaway two days ago, and this older lady was standing in front of me. While she stood there, she glanced at me for a second, and then she glanced again for a little longer then usual and stared at me in the face. I mean yeah, it is only staring, but it does make one feel uncomfotable. However, it doesn't stop me from doing what I need to do-it is just very different since I am an "oddity" here in one regard.

The other is my use of Spanish. I can understand alot of what is said if it is said at a moderate speed. I also can also read and write it decently. However, I never realized how uncomfortable I could when I need to speak in Spanish and I don't know the person. I think it maybe the fear of making mistakes. And the last strange part is when I need to talk about something important that I feel passionate about, I can speak without really thinking too long about what I need to say. It's kind of weird, but I hope I can quit worrying so much and just say what I need to say.

Anyways, I have my last orientation tomorrow and I will see where I will be taking my classes. Right now though, I am abit tired so good night!

-Hasta Luego

Estoy Aqui! But I still don't believe it yet...

So I am finally at my homestay in Buenos Aires. I landed great except for the fact that I barely slept on the plane and when I went to pick up my luggage, the strap was ripped. That is ridiculous especially since I just bought the luggage 2 days before! Oh well...no me importa.

Anyways, I met one of my directors at the airport early in the morning at the airport and she paid for a cab that took me to my homestay. What I didn't realize was that driving in Buenos Aires would be very similar to driving in NYC, maybe worse. I saw barely any traffic lights when there were clearly intersections that needed them. And the taxi driver was a very brave one.... :O

Something that should be noted is that when I was coming from the airport, I noticed some parts that looked a bit run down. Also there was graffti sprawled on some of the buildings. One read..."Ley de la gente" or The law of the people. This just made me think of the current recession that Argentina faces. Although it is a nice tourist spot, there is a very apparent inequality of wealth. I will keep you posted on what other things I find related to that.

When I finally got to the homestay I was greeted by my homestay dad. He told me that his wife was out. Also he spoke no English. The neighborhood that it was in was pretty busy, and there were also many stores. He was very kind and began to show all around the house.

The house itself has a very unique design. It is split into two levels. The upper level is where his wife and him live at, which is upstairs. And then there are a set of stairs that goes to the ground level where there are rooms for other study abroad students. With me included, there are 6 other students doing other programs. I have not met everyone yet but the students who I did meet seem pretty nice. The following is a look up from the bottom of the stairs....Also the roof is open too...I wonder what happens when it rains though.

Here are some pictures of my room. It is pretty homely and it is just enough space. After I unpacked I slept a bit and then my homestay dad showed me around the neighborhood. There were plenty of restaurants, and banks...and also the subte-or the subway. That will probably be my main form of transportation while I am here. Also, I did get a few stares-porque era un negro. I am not worried though because people were still kind to me. So far I have noted only one other black person my entire time here, and they were selling flowers at this flower shop. My homestay father told me that people are accepting and he stated that there are not racial animosities here like in the US. I am interested though to see how my interactions go with Argentines my own age though.

Right now I am waiting for my cab to go to a welcome dinner with my directors and the 2 other students on the program. Then tomorrow we have orientation, and finally classes we start Monday/Tuesday.

This weekend tho we are going to be tourists and see a little bit of the city. From what I have seen and heard, Buenos Aires is HUGE...so I don't think I will see everything but hopefully I can see alot :)

I will keep you all posted!

-Ray

Uncertain, but excited.

So this is the first entry on my blog. Let me just start out by saying that I will be in Buenos Aires for 3 1/2 months until December 11th. Hopefully from this experience abroad I will grow ALOT. Anyways I am leaving tomorrow at 5:20 PM. Hopefully there are no delays with the flight, because that wouldn't be a good way to start my trip. In regards to packing, I am ready to go! 2 suit cases full of clothes and 2 carry ons.



I wonder if I overdid it though, but it doesn't matter because I have a tendency to always over pack. Take a look for yourself at all of my clothes...



It will be interesting to see how many clothes I actually use and how much I bring back.

Tonight was nice though. I had some friends over and they said good-bye to me. Even with them, I got "be careful" and "keep in touch". Of course I plan to do all of these things. I just hope they know that I will miss them too. It may not seem like that though because I'm really excited.

Also this is going to be the longest time I have been out of the country and I just don't know what to expect when I land in Buenos Aires at 7:30 AM on Thursday. Will my Spanish be good enough? Will I make new friends? Will I actually learn the tango? I'm not really sure, the possibilities of how my time goes in BA seem endless. All I know right now is that I am ready for this adventure to begin.